Markus 10:23-31

10:23 Then ¹  Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 10:24 The disciples were astonished at these words. But again Jesus said to them, ²  “Children, how hard it is ³  to enter the kingdom of God! 10:25 It is easier for a camel ⁴  to go through the eye of a needle ⁵  than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 10:26 They were even more astonished and said ⁶  to one another, “Then ⁷  who can be saved?” ⁸  10:27 Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, ⁹  but not for God; all things are possible for God.”

10:28 Peter began to speak to him, “Look, ¹⁰  we have left everything to follow you!” ¹¹  10:29 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, ¹²  there is no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gospel 10:30 who will not receive in this age ¹³  a hundred times as much – homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, fields, all with persecutions ¹⁴  – and in the age to come, eternal life. ¹⁵  10:31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

[10:23]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[10:24]  ² tn Grk “But answering, Jesus again said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant and has not been translated.

[10:24]  ³ tc Most mss (A C D Θ Ë^1,13 28 565 2427 Ï lat sy) have here “for those who trust in riches” (τοὺς πεποιθότας ἐπὶ [τοῖς] χρήμασιν, tou" pepoiqota" epi [toi"] crhmasin); W has πλούσιον (plousion) later in the verse, producing the same general modification on the dominical saying (“how hard it is for the rich to enter…”). But such qualifications on the Lord’s otherwise harsh and absolute statements are natural scribal expansions, intended to soften the dictum. Further, the earliest and best witnesses, along with a few others (א B Δ Ψ sa), lack any such qualifications. That W lacks the longer expansion and only has πλούσιον suggests that its archetype agreed with א B here; its voice should be heard with theirs. Thus, both on external and internal grounds, the shorter reading is preferred.

[10:25]  ⁴ tc A few witnesses (˹³ 28 579 pc) read κάμιλον (kamilon, “rope”) for κάμηλον (kamhlon, “camel”), either through accidental misreading of the text or intentionally so as to soften Jesus’ words.

[10:25]  ⁵ sn The referent of the eye of a needle is a sewing needle. (The gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” was built during the middle ages and was not in existence in Jesus’ day.) Jesus was speaking rhetorically to point out that apart from God’s intervention, salvation is impossible (v. 27).

[10:26]  ⁶ tn Grk “But they were even more astonished, saying.” The participle λέγονες (legontes) has been translated here as a finite verb to emphasize the sequence of events: The disciples were astonished, then they spoke.

[10:26]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of thought.

[10:26]  ⁸ sn The assumption is that the rich are blessed, so if they risk exclusion, who is left to be saved?

[10:27]  ⁹ tn The plural Greek term ἄνθρωποις (anqrwpois) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NASB 1995 update, “people”). Because of the contrast here between mere mortals and God (“impossible for men…all things are possible for God”) the phrase “mere humans” has been used in the translation.

[10:28]  ¹⁰ sn Peter wants reassurance that the disciples’ response and sacrifice has been noticed.

[10:28]  ¹¹ tn Grk “We have left everything and followed you.” Koine Greek often used paratactic structure when hypotactic was implied.

[10:29]  ¹² tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[10:30]  ¹³ tn Grk “this time” (καιρός, kairos), but for stylistic reasons this has been translated “this age” here.

[10:30]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “with persecutions.” The “all” has been supplied to clarify that the prepositional phrase belongs not just to the “fields.”

[10:30]  ¹⁵ sn Note that Mark (see also Matt 19:29; Luke 10:25, 18:30) portrays eternal life as something one receives in the age to come, unlike John, who emphasizes the possibility of receiving eternal life in the present (John 5:24).